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Tech N9ne has set July 30 as the release date for his blockbuster Something Else album. The high-powered collection is broken up into "Fire," "Water" and "Earth" sections and features legendary guests from different genres and different eras, including music icons The Doors, rap superstars Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa, rock maverick Serj Tankian and singer-rapper Cee Lo, among others.

Tech N9ne collaborated with the remaining members of The Doors on "Strange 2013," a reworking of The Door's "Strange Days" that was one of the last recordings The Doors' founding member, Ray Manzarek, made before he passed away in May. In a June 24 RollingStone.com feature, Tech N9ne says that The Doors' music saved his life and that The Doors' songs "People Are Strange" and "Strange Days" are the reasons why he named his record company Strange Music. "If I didn't listen to their music and their fusion of sounds, I probably would've never called [my label] Strange Music," Tech said to Rolling Stone. "I have Jim Morrison to thank for that." http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/tech-n9ne-aligns-with-the-doors-for-strange-2013-20130624

The rest of Something Else is equally remarkable. "That's My Kid" featuring Cee Lo, Big K.R.I.T. and Kutt Calhoun has Tech N9ne explaining how he gave up his life in the streets in order to be a better father. Elsewhere, Tech N9ne teams with Kendrick Lamar, Mayday and Kendall Morgan for "Fragile." On this spirited selection, Tech N9ne delivers a dazzling, tongue-twisting rap blasting all of his critics, while Kendrick Lamar details how he pours his heart and soul into his lyrics.

Today, Tech N9ne releases the Drumma Boy-produced single "See Me," which features Wiz Khalifa and B.o.B. Tech N9ne sings and raps on the cut about how he gets overlooked by many despite his remarkable accolades – selling more than 2 million units independently, headlining the longest tour in rap history and owning hip-hop's most powerful, truly independent record company, among them. (link to song and download below)

Something Else will be available for pre-order on iTunes July 2. Fans who purchase a copy of the album in advance will instantly receive the song "So Dope (They Wanna)." The lyrically intense tune is in the vein of Tech N9ne's revered "Choppers" series of songs that pair him with fellow top-tier rappers who deliver dizzying flows with remarkable clarity.

Tech N9ne will also be the lead music feature in this week's print edition of Billboard Magazine, on-stands June 28.

Hip-hop ambitions are often described in terms of "hunger", but no known MC has an appetite quite like Brotha Lynch Hung. This is not simply the peckishness of a seasoned artist still making music while his former contemporaries have long passed their sell-by date. This is the ravenous hunger of Mannibalector, Brotha Lynch Hung's flesh-chomping, gore-streaked altered ego and the antagonistic protagonist at the dark heart of Coathanga Strangla, the genuinely stunning new album by Brotha Lynch Hung.

Coathanga Strangla re-introduces listeners to the not so nice but strangely sympathetic guy they met on Lynch's 2010 album Dinner and a Movie. The "autocratic automatic reaper" instantly joined the entertainment biz pantheon of indelible killers like Mannibalector's cinematic predecessor, Silence Of The Lambs sicko Hannibal Lector. "I watch a lotta horror movies and I really love meat," says Lynch, "so I put that together and out came Mannibalector."

Longtime fans will, of course, recognize these deviant tendencies. Brotha Lynch Hung's 1993 debut, 24 Deep (Black Market Records) found his "human meat pot luck" already underway (who can forget the image: "find your brain cookin' in a barbecue pit"?). The 1995 release of the Sacramento (CA) native's certified Gold classic, Season of da Siccness, followed and Lynch has released a steady stream of music ever since, making him an ideal match for the do-or-die work ethic of his current label home, Strange Music.

Kansas City-based Strange Music is currently the most successful outfit in independent hip-hop and home to Tech N9ne. Dinner and a Movie was Lynch's first album released by Strange, but Tech N9ne and Brotha Lynch have history: Tech appeared on "187 On A Hook" from Lynch's Blocc Movement in 2001, and in 2006 Lynch delivered a standout verse on "My World" from Tech N9ne's Everready album. "Strange Music understands me, they've really given me a fresh start," says Lynch. "As strange as it sounds, I feel like I'm just getting going with my career."

Make no mistake however: what feels like a fresh start for Lynch is coinciding with a high point in his artistic evolution. Always one to look to movies for inspiration, Lynch says that repeated viewings of the Hostel films had a direct effect on Coathanga Strangla. "Some horror movies are too ridiculous," he says, "but Hostel has a very realistic feeling. It's not scary like boo! — it's more like this could happen. That's an authenticity I'm going for in my music."

It's that sense that gives Coathanga Strangla its compelling core. With its bowel-bothering bass line and toothpick percussion (courtesy of producer Michael "Seven" Summers), "Mannibalector" is a cannibal lecture (replete with requisite slaughter) the reveals the crucial facet of Lynch's artistry: his alter ego is not a two-dimensional creation but a character full of humanizing doubts, fears and paranoia. Allmusic.com's David Jeffries has noted Lynch's facility at going "from gross to scary to sympathetic and personal, and then back again, all without losing a step or trying your patience."

When it comes to digesting Lynch's art however, it helps that his raps are leavened by what can only be called "gallows humor." Who else would refer to his manner of cooking victims as "Operation McPasta", as Lynch does on the new album's "Mannibalector"? While Brotha Lynch Hung is often credited as the originator of the rap genre known as "horrorcore", most so-called horrorcore rappers would be content with a standard disemboweling; Lynch goes all the way, a meal plan immortalized on the new album's "Spit It Out" wherein Lynch chortles: "If anything taste funny spit it out."

"Friday Night" features Lynch's fellow rap madman C.O.S., thumping production by Michael "Seven" Summers, and Brotha Lynch's "body sweatin' like a Juggalo." "I love the Juggalos man," says Lynch of the cult-like, face-painted fans who have embraced him. "They're good people with good hearts who are looking for an outlet from life's pain. I can relate to that." Standout cut "Blinded By Desire" is a sadistic travelogue following Lynch as he drives from California's Bay Area southward towards Los Angeles ("524 miles to SoCal..." begins Lynch) where mayhem will undoubtedly ensue.

Coathanga Strangla is the middle album in a conceptual trilogy, which began with Dinner and a Movie and is slated to conclude with 2012's Mannibalector. Each of the three albums has spawned three videos, which together will comprise the visual document of the terrifying times of Mannibalector. "The three albums and nine videos are about a rapper who's having a bad life and is about to give up on the world," explains Brotha Lynch Hung. "You can hear he's about to walk the thin line, past the thin line, and then go way over it."

Join Brotha Lynch Hung as he continues to obliterate that line like no other artist can do.

Strange Music's Krizz Kaliko is preparing for the release of his new album, Son Of Sam, which is due in stores on August 27.

Anticipation for the album has been built with installments from the video series "Kali Wednesday" that launched on August 14 with the premiere of the clip for "Intro," the album's opening track on Thisis50.com. http://www.thisis50.com/profiles/blogs/krizz-kaliko-son-ofsam-intro-official-music-video-world-premiere. The second video for the song "Scar" that features long time friend, label mate and collaborator, Tech N9ne, debuted on August 21 on Allhiphop.com http://allhiphop.com/videos/premiere-krizz-kaliko-feat-tech-n9ne-scars/.

New videos from Son Of Sam will continue to premiere every Wednesday for the next ten weeks.

While explaining the title of the album, Kaliko reveals that he is "the real Son of Sam." "I am the son of Sam" states Kaliko "Actually, I am Sam myself. My real name is Samuel, and so is my father's name."

In true Krizz Kaliko signature style, the rapper-singer has delivered an album that, once again, showcases his incredible tongue-twisting skills, as well as his powerful and soulful vocals. "I was
always in the church choir. I still am. Singing is natural to me and it will always be a prominent element of the music that I create." On Son Of Sam, Kaliko continues to promote his versatility and he reminds his fans that he is not afraid of experimenting with various styles of music when it comes to creating an album: songs like "Why Me" showcase the soulfulness of Kaliko's vocals, while "Girls Like That" take the listener straight to the club.

Krizz is currently on the road with Tech N9ne for the Canadian leg of the "Something Else Tour" which will land in the US on September 5 for a fifty date run that will include performances at the upcoming Rock The Bells in LA, San Francisco, DC and NY.

Krizz Kaliko met Tech N9ne while Tech was working on his Anghellic album more than decade ago. Since then, Krizz has become one of music's most compelling artists, rapping and singingwith equal potency about his struggles with vitiligo, insecurity and bipolar disorder, as well as hislove for his wife and his affinity for the party lifestyle.

His trademark lyrical style and massive beats make this album a worthy addition to your playlist.

With features like Tech N9ne, the legendary Peetah Morgan, Mystikal, Kevin Gates, Ces Cru, Glasses Malone, Darrein and more, as well as bangin' tracks like "Fall In Love With It" and "Rain Dance", Malta Bend is a can't-miss album.

Ces Cru comes up with a new acronym for each of its releases. But after feeling held somewhat captive by the title of 2013's Constant Energy Struggles, Ubiquitous and Godemis felt creatively liberated when they settled on Codename: Ego Stripper as the title of its second Strange Music album.

"On Constant Energy Struggles, I felt like we were constantly defining what that meant from song to song," Ubiquitous says. "On this one, we're not spelling it out for you."

"The thing that appealed to me about that name is that you couldn't put a finger on exactly what that meant," Godemis adds. "I felt like that was a good angle to come from in writing the music, with no preconceived ideas. I thought that it would open up our writing and draw people in."

The Kansas City duo showcases this newfound latitude on the skeletal "Sound Bite." Sans chorus, Ubiquitous and Godemis deliver stunningly intricate, braggadocio tag-team raps for three-and-a half minutes. "It really showcases our lyrical talent," Godemis says of the Internet hit that has logged more than 70,000 YouTube views in about two weeks. "The beat's kind of empty in a way to where your ear's not taken away by a lot of other different things. The lack of a hook is suicide in a way, I guess, but it's for another MC or a connoisseur of hip-hop."

Ces Cru then flexes its sociopolitical muscles on the masterful "Axiom," a meditation on everything from making a positive change in the world to the War on Drugs and the concept of freedom. In addition to the lyrical heft Ubiquitous and Godemis demonstrate, producer Michael "Seven" Summers adds stirring sonic layers throughout the song. "I really like the pianos that start popping up during Godemis' verse," Ubiquitous says. "The whole front half of the song feels different than the back half. By the end, you're rocking out to the piano. It's a beautiful, thoughtful piece."

While "Axiom" explores stark subject matter, "Hope" celebrates the bliss of enjoying life. "It reinforces the philosophy from the last record about optimism and magnetism and envisioning what you're trying to get for yourself, do for yourself," Ubiquitous says of the cut, which also features ¡Mayday!'s Bernz. "It's on some 'Seven Chakras' stuff as far as keeping a positive outlook on things regardless of whatever you're up against."

To this point, Ces Cru illustrates how it responds to stress on the soulful, laid-back "Pressure," which also features Rittz. "Pressure implies a manic mind state, but the song is about what is pressure for us: chillin'," Ubiquitous says. "I think a lot of rap these days is very turnt up, trap, high-energy rap with this fast lifestyle, glamour content. That's very prevalent on radio and we made a chill record. That was on purpose. It's not all about rapping your head off. It's about chilling out, vibing out."

The duo ratchets up the intensity on "Whips," a concept cut about cars that features an impressive succession of sound effects. "You can kind of close your eyes and see everything that's going on in the song," Godemis "We took a lot of time to get it right so that it does sound like we're on the highway with big rigs passing by and there is a helicopter in the air. It's a lot of fun."

Ces Cru keeps the sounds scintillating with "Que Lastima," which features a hyper, boast-heavy verse from Angel Davanport. She was featured alongside Game and Tech N9ne on the latter's "Priorities," a cut from his 2013 album, Something Else. Ubiquitous was happy to feature the talented act on one of his group's songs. "I kind of look at Angel Davenport as our secret weapon because she's going to be virtually unknown to most people when they hear the record and I think that is a delight to the listener, to give them something fresh and new and good," he says. "That's what I wanted to do with Angel and her talent is maybe only 30 percent exposed on that track. She's got a lot more tricks in her bag."

Ditto for Ces Cru. The group formed in the early 2000s and became a duo after the release of its debut album, 2004's Capture Enemy Soldiers. The pair appeared on a string of local releases before releasing its next album, 2009's The Playground. Buoyed by such songs as the break-up anthem "DYT," the chest-thumping "Float" and the politically-charged "Teeter," The Playground impressed Strange Music co-owner Tech N9ne.

In 2010, Tech N9ne featured Ces Cru on his Bad Season mixtape and had Ubiquitous and Godemis open for him at Kansas City's The Beaumont Club. The group then joined the Strange Music roster in 2011, released the 13 EP in 2012 and followed that up with 2013's Constant Energy Struggles. The acclaimed collection features several singles whose videos have become viral hits: "When Worlds Collide" (more than 1.1 million YouTube views), "Seven Chakras" (more than 900,000 YouTube views) and "Juice" (more than 750,000 views) among them.

As it is wont to do, Ces Cru looks at its older material as it evaluates its new work. "When I think about our catalog and how it's evolved, I feel like Constant Energy is a super-dope album, a very important album," Ubiquitous says. "But, when I hear it, it sounds like we teamed up, cliqued up with some new guys – and we did. With that, I feel like the new album is back to us being us. We kind of took the reins back and it sounds more like our earlier work, more like Playground. We were very hands-on with this album to make sure that it sounded different than our last project."

With that mission accomplished, Ces Cru shows with Codename: Ego Stripper its ability to refine, update and enhance its music while creating special material. "We want to make something that will last," Ubiquitous says. "We don't want to do something that has a hot single on it, nine throwaway tracks, a couple average ones and then just pump out a record 10 months later. I feel like all of our albums should be able to last a couple years. People still bump Playground and that came out in 2009. That's a five-year-old album. That's the standard."